King's Fork Middle School

My first experience with EFES was attending an orientation with the then “new” principal and assistant principal. We shared enthusiasm and energy to a new relationship. The Pitchkettle community is packed caring people but I do not see that carrying through to the school. I met only two parents in my child’s class so far. I see the classroom environment vicariously through the eyes of the teacher, my child and the other students. According to your website EFES rates among the bottom 3 schools in this city. This rating is based on a variety of measures, including academic performance and equity. Question: Are the GreatSchools ratings official? Why is the gap so huge? What can the community do to close the gap?My evaluation below is based on their potential

Good school for the most part, some of the staff is rude. Lately I’ve been having issues with the tag pick up staff. They look at you as if you don’t belong and rushly wave their hands at you to go even if the car infront of you is going slow. They try to target people who they feel they can get away with. Every day since February has been a nightmare picking and dropping my son off from school because they know my car by now and are very rude to me everyday although I drive slow and watch for kids I am still a target. Other than that my son has obtained honor roll since kindergarten and has had some really great teachers.

Our experience with this school raised serious concerns about student safety, accountability, and communication.My five year old daughter has asthma with a documented action plan on file. When she experienced symptoms, staff failed to follow that plan. Not only did they fail to act appropriately, when the teacher saw her coughing so much she was gagging and couldn’t complete sentences she responded with “oh my” and then let her walk outside to go to recess. Her condition escalated to the point that she required emergency room care—something that was entirely preventable.Our seven year old daughter experienced ongoing harassment throughout the school year. Despite reporting it, the school failed to take effective action, and the behavior continued. As a result, she has required therapy, which speaks to the seriousness of the situation and the lack of appropriate intervention.Communication from administration has been extremely poor. Multiple emails regarding these serious issues went unanswered. In addition, the school has refused to refund next year’s registration fees after our withdrawal, without providing a clear or reasonable explanation.The combination of medical negligence, failure to address harassment, and lack of accountability is deeply concerning. Families should be aware and ask very direct questions before enrolling.

We love this school with the majority of our experience being with the Harbour View Campus. The classroom size and instruction has allowed our children to thrive and grow while also receiving additional support in areas that are more challenging for them. They look forward to going to school every day and we attribute that to the school environment that feels like an extension of our family. All staff and teachers get to know teachers whether they are directly teaching them or not.The opportunities to experience activities and events at both campuses increases the community and culture experience. Our children particularly love the chances they’ve had to interact with older students and the learning partnerships that are created. Highly recommend!! If cost is a concern, they do have opportunities for financial support that would be worth exploring.